I applied online, then received a call from one of their recruiters about a week later. After an initial phone screen, where the recruiter asked me about my work history and skills, he told me about the role, how the TPM org was structured, and if I would feel comfortable in that environment. Of course I said "yes".
He scheduled a follow-up phone interview with the hiring manager, the group TPM. When the time came for the interview, from the very start of the phone call, I could tell he was not interested in me as a candidate (not sure then why he even bothered to call!). I've been a PM/TPM for 18 years now, with the most 10 years as a group PM myself. Maybe he felt threatened by my background?
Regardless, he kept focusing on whether I could do the job, which is an Individual Contributor role. I explained that even though I'd been a manager for the past decade, I started as an IC, and just because I was a manager doesn't mean I didn't do any IC work myself. He asked me several vague questions with little context, and when I asked for clarifications or additional information, he'd jump to a conclusion and say "I just don't think you could do this role."
Finally, after 10 minutes of this, I said, "Dude you're crazy. I've been a PM for 18 years. I could do this job in my sleep. I've managed apps that engage with millions of users per month and make hundreds of millions in revenue per year. I assure you, I can handle your TPM role." Then he blurted a short, "It's not gonna work out."
So we ended the call.
Don't know what the guy's problem was. Perhaps he was only looking for a strict drone worker (someone with no individual thought and no management experience).
